


always ok

by helsinkibaby



Category: Sweet Justice (TV 1994)
Genre: Be the First Challenge, F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 06:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10657035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: At her son's hospital bed, Reese has an epiphany.





	always ok

**Author's Note:**

> For the Be the Firsf challenge, Round 2 on LJ. 
> 
> Fair disclaimer - I have wracked my brain for the name of Reese's son and come up empty. And because it was a one season show over 20 years ago, the Internet is also coming up empty. I have gone with Michael, if anyone knows I am wrong and can correct me, please hit me up in the comments!

Reese isn't sure what wakes her at first, but then again, it was a surprise to find that she'd fallen asleep. The foldout bed is as uncomfortable as it had looked when the nurses first brought it in and she remembers lying down, sure she'd still be awake in the wee small hours of the morning. She doesn't remember falling asleep and she definitely doesn't remember covering herself up with the pitifully thin blanket the nurses had left at the end of the foldout. 

She blinks as she takes a deep breath, lets herself remember where she is. The unique scent of hospital fills her nostrils, a reminder of where she was, as if she could ever forget. Thankfully, the monitors of the previous few days are gone now, their beeps and whirrs giving way to a silence. 

Or what should be silence. 

Because as her eyes adjust to the dim light, as she comes back to her senses, she realises what's woken her, or more to the point, who has. Andy is still there, just like he has been the whole time, the friend that she needed even if she knows that's not all she wants, knows that it hasn't been for a long time now. He's not looking at her, is standing beside the bed, looking down at the small, still figure of the little boy lying there. She's staring at them side on so she can see it when Andy's hand reaches out, adjusts the bedding, tucking it closer around the boy. He must have done the same thing for her, she thinks, and the notion brings a lump to her throat. 

Or maybe that's because of the way he's looking down at Michael, the tenderness in his voice, the gentleness of the way he pats the blanket down. "There we go, buddy," he says, reaching up to run a hand over the boy's hair. "All safe and sound." 

Michael blinks up at him. "Where's Momma?" His voice is very small, hoarse from lack of proper food and drink, a mark of all the drugs they've pumped into him to save his life. 

Andy's eyes dart to the foldout bed, grow wide when they meet hers and he realises she's awake. He doesn't miss a beat though, years of law school and litigation training him not to show surprise. "Mom's catching up on some sleep," he says instead, gesturing in her direction and Reese closes her eyes quickly. If Michael knows she's awake, he's going to ask for her and he'll take an age to go back to sleep. With Andy talking to him, they have a chance. "And you should be too." His hand is moving over Michael's hair, gentle and soothing. "It's ok, buddy... we're not going anywhere." 

Reese hasn't cried since their local doctor took one look at Michael's rash and high temperature and said the word "meningitis." Not when she called Andy in a panic and he's promised he'd get to the hospital as soon as he could, not during the ambulance ride to the city, not during the long days and nights where they'd worked so hard to save her boy. Andy's quiet words, the promise they hold, are what breaks the dam, and one tear trickles down her cheek, followed by another, then another. 

By the time Andy moves away from Michael's bed, Reese has cried herself out and she pushes herself up, swings her feet onto the floor and pulls the sleeves of her jumper down low over her hands, uses them to wipe her eyes. The foldout bed dips as Andy sits down beside her and for a crazy moment she hopes that it's not going to tip over. Only for a moment, then Andy shifts so that he's closer to her, close enough that she can feel the heat of his body and the world is set to rights again. 

"Sorry I woke you." His voice is even quieter than usual so as not to wake Michael. "I wanted to let you sleep-"

"It's ok." Reese's voice cracks from thirst or tiredness or lack of use or some combination of all three. "You're good with him." 

She's looking across at him when she speaks and she sees a flash of pleasure, hastily stifled, cross his face. "He's a good kid," he says as he shrugs, rests his hands on his knees. "I'm glad he's going to be ok." 

The knowledge of how easily it could have been a different story brings fresh tears to Reese's eyes and this time it's dismay that flashes across Andy's face. He says her name at the same time as he moves his hand, brings his arm around her shoulders and pulls her close to him. She goes willingly, needing the comfort, lets her head fall against his chest. He doesn't say a word, just holds her until she's strong enough to speak. "I'm sorry," she whispers and her head is still down so she feels, rather than sees, him shake his. 

"It's ok," he says. "It's always ok." 

Just like that, she remembers another time when he said those words to her. Late at night in the office, she'd been stressed over the custody cases with her awful ex, so afraid she was going to lose her son. He'd listened to her, talked to her and, on this particular night, he'd stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders and he'd said those very words. 

And she'd been terrified for an entirely different reason. 

Because in those five little words were all the feelings that they were dancing around, all the little moments, all the emotions that she'd tried so hard to deny. Andy was her co-worker, one of her best friends, if not her very best friend. 

She was not going to screw that up by falling for him and losing him when it didn't work out. 

Except that when she sits here now, his arm around her, her body pressed against his, listening to those exact same words, she's not scared anymore. 

How can she be when it's her and Andy?

"What did I do to deserve you?" she asks, tilting her head up so that she can see him without moving her cheek from his chest. That means she doesn't miss, even in the dim light, the faint tinge of pink high on his cheekbones. 

"Just lucky I guess." She thinks he means it to be lighthearted, funny even. 

She's not laughing. 

"Yes," she says, reaching up to cup his cheek. "I am." 

She brings his head down towards her at the same time as she's stretching up to bring her lips to his. His eyes flutter shut and hers follow suit and just as she can feel his breath on her lips, he freezes. 

Then he pulls away. 

She freezes then, eyes flying open, wondering if she's read this wrong, read him wrong. 

But he's smiling, lets his forehead fall against hers. "Ok," he says. "So here's the thing... I've been kinda thinking about our first kiss for a while now. And this-" She's dimly aware that he's waving a hand around to illustrate his point; she's still stuck on the whole part where he admitted he'd been thinking about their first kiss. "Wasn't part of the plan. There were flowers... candlelight... dinner and dancing..."

"That sounds nice." It sounds more than nice, perfect even, perfect even to make Reese almost giddy. As she glances over at the bed, however, it seems very far away. "But it might take us a while to get there." Because she doesn't know how long Michael will be here for and she's pretty sure once they are home, she's not going to want to leave him for long. 

"It's ok." Andy's shoulder, the one she's not leaning on, rises and falls in a shrug. "You're worth the wait. You always were." 

There are more tears in Reese's eyes now but it's ok because these are the good kind of tears. And when she wraps her arms around his waist, holds him tight, she thinks he knows that too. 

As it turns out, their first kiss happens a lot sooner than she thought. It's their first night at home, her kid asleep down the hall, after a dinner Kate brought over so Reese wouldn't have to cook. Store bought flowers are in a vase on the table and they're slow dancing in her living room to some god-awful country music playing on the radio and it might not be fancy but it's them and that's what makes it perfect. 

And like Andy said, worth the wait.


End file.
